7 tips to avoid tendinitis

Tendinitis is an inflammation of one or more tendons that causes continuous pain that gets worse when you move, stretch, and when you press it. In reality, doctors often use the term tendonitis to refer to tendinopathies (tendon disease). The most common being tendinosis, which is a degeneration of the tendon that makes it weak and tender. Anti-inflammatory drugs are ineffective on tendinosis, which requires chiropractic AND physiotherapy or rehabilitation monitoring. True tendonitis is rare. The purpose of this article is, therefore, to take care of your tendons! In addition to visiting your chiropractor to correct mechanical problems that lead to tendon pain, here are 7 tips to take care of your tendons and avoid tendinopathy (“tendinitis”).

1 Ice and compression

Putting a strap or a means of restraint (knee pad, elbow pad, etc.) during movements that are known to be extremely stressful for the tendons reduces the tension on both the tendon and the junction between the tendon and the muscle. This provides both pain relief and an easier time exercising. Be careful, however, not to tighten too hard to avoid preventing blood circulation, and to use compression only when it is most needed.

2 Massage

Tendinitis generally stems from the overuse of the muscle and its associated tendon . Massaging the muscle reduces muscle tension and therefore releases the permanent tension exerted on the tendon. Massaging also helps create more efficient muscles and enables blood circulation, which helps drain the waste related to inflammation of the tendon. To do this, locate the tensest and most painful areas of the muscle and massage vigorously perpendicularly to the affected muscle. Preferably, ask your chiropractor or physiotherapist for the most effective areas in your case, for an even more efficient massage.

3 Rest

Overuse calls for rest. This is true both for the muscle as well as the tendon. There are several ways to allow them to rest. The first is to stop or limit their use. If you are athletic, we both know that you will not follow this advice, which leads us to the second way: reducing stress on the tendon and muscle. It’s important to adapt the effort depending on the intensity of the tendonitis. This can be by decreasing the frequency or intensity of training, limiting brutal or aggressive movements, or even sometimes training other technical aspects than those involving the tendon during a time. This way, you continue to do what you love while respecting the needs of your body.

4 Regular training

Tendinitis is not reserved for athletes, far from it. Many tendonitis are due to working positions, which are sometimes maintained for more than 8 hours a day. It is difficult to imagine the effort required for the muscle to hold a bad position for 8 hours, but it’s monstrous!

To prevent tendonitis, it’s absolutely essential, to have a regular and healthy physical activity, which preferably compensates for your postures at work. Moving your body and strengthening it will allow it to better withstand the physical stress of sitting in front of a computer (which is a position that the majority of us stay in for over a third of our lives!). Consider building deep muscles, including in the shoulders and hips, which are the protective muscles.Training regularly will also allow you to drain muscle waste such as lactic acid, fight stiffness that worsens or even cause tendonitis, and provide the nutrients and oxygen necessary for muscles to function properly.

5 Progressive training

The body always adapts gradually to its environment. This is also the case with tendons! When you start physical activity, test new exercises, or intensify workouts, always keep in mind that your tendons need time to adapt to changes in lifestyle and effort. The tendon makes it possible to make the junction between the muscle and the bone. It is, therefore, of course, sensitive to weight. Increasing the load gradually allows the body to strengthen your tendon progressively, and therefore reduce the risk of muscle and tendon injuries. The frequency of training should also be thought of according to the effort to which your tendons have been used. A sudden increase in the frequency of training can lead to tendonitis. Your job should be to study the ergonomics of your work station and the postures that you can or must hold during working time.

6 Warming up and recovery

To reduce stress on the tendons, warming up is essential. It allows you to gradually increase the effort during your workouts which leaves the body time to prepare for intense or prolonged effort. Warming up is also a must in the professional environment! Poor positions are maintained for hours and repetitive movements are intense stresses for your tendons. A warm-up will allow you to better hold the day, and even improve your professional performance. Indeed, the energy used by your body to support this stress is less energy for yourself. Recovery sessions allow the body to move and blood to circulate with minimum stress. This drains the muscular waste linked to the workout session or the work day. It can consist of just walking around for 20 minutes at a brisk pace without a bag, or can be part of a workout.

7 Technique

Tendons are particularly sensitive to pulley phenomena because they are crushed against the bone. This is why most tendonitis occurs in places where the tendon passes around a bone. To train your muscle effectively without risking tendonitis, start by training it in a position where the tendon has no friction with the bone. Over the weeks, increase the tension on the tendon by using more and more the full amplitude of the joint. In addition, poor technique can facilitate the arrival of tendonitis, whether in sport or in repetitive movements at work. It is therefore important to think about the ergonomics of the workstation and to practice movements that respect the body. In sport, this will translate into the choice of equipment and training in the right position. In the professional environment, this translates by developing a workstation adapted to the employee in a personalized way, and by studying the effective gestures.